


let me tell you how i feel ('cause this time it's real)

by avengerskye



Series: Fake dating au [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, F/M, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:08:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23603569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerskye/pseuds/avengerskye
Summary: Josie and Hope try to make it work even though more than four hours now separate them.Hope is in college, making herself a new life and new friends.Josie is still in Mystic Falls, she gets a job and rekindles an old friendship.They'll have to learn to grow together, even though they are apart.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Series: Fake dating au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699006
Comments: 185
Kudos: 476





	1. gotta make sure i'll feel at home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> I've been promising this sequel for so long... I hope you're all still interested?
> 
> If you're a new reader... I strongly suggest you read the first story : "it's a date (the only problem is it's fake).
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy ❤️
> 
> Please let me know what you thought!

The brunette looks around the little room. There's two single bed, one on each side of the room. Each bed has a nightstand with a lamp on it. There's two tiny desks, and two chairs. And that's it. She expected more from a college dorm room. 

She sits down and winces when she feels the hard mattress.

"What's wrong?" Hope asks as she walks in carrying a box.

"Your mattress is hard. You'll have back problems." Josie says with a shrug.

Hope chuckles before settling her box down. She smiles softly as she walks to the bed, sitting down next to her girlfriend. She gently takes Josie's hand in hers and slowly plays with her fingers.

"Are you okay?" Hope asks.

Josie takes a sharp intake of breath. "Yeah."

"You realize I'm gonna miss you a lot, right?" 

"I already miss you, and you're still by my side."

Hope's face saddens, without missing a moment, she lifts her hand and places it on the back of Josie's neck. Softly, but firmly, she pulls the younger girl in a kiss. They just have time to press their lips together before they're interrupted.

"I can't believe this!" Freya says as she walks into the room. "I'm helping with the boxes so you can make out with your girlfriend in your new room?"

The two girls pull away. Josie quickly looks down as a dark blush covers her cheeks. Hope on the other hand looks her aunts straight in the eyes, unashamed of what just happened.

"Gotta make sure I'll feel at home." Hope says with a shrug.

"Okay you little brat." Keelin says with a playful glare. "Go help your aunt, the pregnant woman will keep your girlfriend company."

"But-"

Josie giggles as she pushes Hope off the bed, receiving a fake offended look from her girlfriend.

"I see how it is!" Hope says as she points a finger at Josie. "No kisses for you until we see each other again!"

Josie's eyes comically widens in shock, but before she can say anything Hope storms out the door. Freya rolls her eyes and puts the box down before getting out of the room too as her wife laughs.

"She didn't mean that, right?" Josie asks Keelin, a little panicked.

The pregnant woman sits down beside her niece's girlfriend. "Please… she'd be the first one to cry if she didn't get to kiss you again before you two get separated."

A goofy grin appears on Josie's face and she nods. Keelin's eyes doesn't leave the brunette, she can practically feel the sadness emaning of the teenager even though she's smiling now. Softly, the woman nudges the brunette with her elbow, effectively gaining Josie's attention again.

"You know she's coming back in a few weeks, right?" Keelin starts with a little smile. "And then she has a break that lasts for like three weeks during the holidays. You guys can spend all of it together." 

Josie nods. "I know, it's just gonna be so weird to not have her around. Like… we didn't go to the same school, so we didn't see each other every day, but whenever I really wanted to see her, I could. Now, she's gonna be more than four hours away from me." The brunette avoids Keelin's eyes. "I'm just scared it'll change things, you know?"

Keelin sighs and smiles, she's gonna have to comfort the teen. In the few months Hope and Josie have been dating, the Mikaelson family came to really love their niece's girlfriend. They learned to know her, and saw just how happy she could make Hope. And Keelin made a special place for Josie in her life. It wasn't easy to date a Mikaelson after all, whatever age they are.

"Does Hope know how you feel?"

Josie bites her lip and shakes her head no. "I should tell her, right?"

"Oh, hi!" 

Josie and Keelin both look at the door when an unfamilliar voice is heard. A brunette girl is walking into the room with a box in her hands, closely followed by a boy.

"I'm Maya, and you... must be my roommate, right?" The girl says as soon as she put the box down.

Then she walks closer to Josie with a friendly smile.

"That would be me actually." Hope says just as she's walking in. "I'm Hope."

Maya quickly turns to look at Hope. "I'm Maya, and this is my brother Ethan" The girl says as she points to the boy behind her, the smile never leaving her face, then she looks back at Josie. "Who are you then?"

"My name is Josie, I'm Hope's girlfriend." She replies with a shy smile.

During that time, Hope walked fully into the room and settled her box on the floor before going back to sit next to Josie on the bed. She watches Maya curiously, waiting to see her reaction when she'd find out Josie's her girlfriend. She's surprised to see Maya's whole face light up. She quickly turns around and slaps the boys arm.

"See Ethan? I told you we wouldn't have to worry about that." Maya says with an eye roll. 

Josie, Hope, Freya and Keelin all share a look as the siblings banter. Hope feels a little better knowing her roommate won't mind her relationship with Josie though. 

Keelin sighs and then tries to stand up, quickly helped by her wife. 

"The pregnant woman needs to go to the bathroom." She announces, taking Freya's hand in hers. "Hope, you studied the whole dorm plans, where's the closest bathroom?"

The Mikaelson girl feels her cheeks heat up. "Down the hall, on your right."

The two women leave the room, and soon enough Ethan walks to the door too.

"Maya, there's still boxes in the car."

The girl with curly hair fakes a pout. "But I'm so tired."

Ethan rolls his eyes, but he doesn't say anything as he walks out of the door, clearly not expecting his sister to give him more help than she already did. As for Maya, she watches him leave with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Having an athlete brother is the best." She states before sitting down on her bed, facing Hope and Josie. "Who were the two women?"

"My aunts." Hope replies.

"Like, as they're a couple?" Maya says with a grin.

"Married, actually."

"God, your family sounds gay, I love it." Maya says before quickly adding something else. "Does any of you have siblings?"

"I'm an only child."

Maya gives Josie a look, clearly waiting for her answer too. 

"I have a twin sister."

"Wow, you're quite the opposite. How long have you been together?" Maya says, curiousity clear on her face.

"Officially, it's been a little more than 8 months." Josie says with a blinding smile.

"Officially? Why did you feel the need to add that?" 

Hope and Josie quickly exchange a look, then Hope sighs.

"We were fake dating for three months before getting together for real." Hope decides to give as an explanation.

"No way?" Maya says, her eyes wide. "Sounds straight out of a romcom movie, I'm gonna need details."

"Yeah, but no. This is a very embarrassing, and kinda painful story, so no." Hope says, her tone a little more cutting than she intended it to be.

Soon enough, Josie nudges her girlfriend's ribs with her elbow and shoots her a glare. That's when Hope realizes just how rude she's been.

"I'm sorry… It's just that we had a rough start. It's been good the last couple of months though." Hope ends with a soft smile in Josie's direction, hoping her girlfriend would forgive her.

"Don't flash me your sorry smile, I'm not the one you've been rude to." Josie says with a sigh.

Hope groans and looks at Maya. When she sees the amused smirk on the girl's face, Hope wonders if they'll actually get along, because as of now she wants to kick her out of the room.

"I'm sorry I was rude."

"Good to know who wears the pants in your relationship." Maya lets out a loud laugh when she sees Hope glare at her. "Oh, Hope don't look at me like that! I'm only teasing you."

"Right." Hope says with a tight-lipped smile.

Just at that moment, Freya and Keelin walk back inside the room, but they stay by the door,

"It's gonna be time for us to go soon, sweetie." Freya says to Hope. 

The auburn haired girl immediately tense up. 

She's not sure she's ready to say goodbye to her aunts. 

She's not sure she's ready to say goodbye to her girlfriend.

She's not sure she's ready to be alone here.

Josie softly places a hand on Hope's thigh and squeezes gently. The brunette feels so hopeless as she knows exactly what goes on in Hope's mind right now. She knows how the older girl feels about being here alone, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to even accept her place in this highly praised college.

"Hope, it's gonna be okay." Josie quietly says.

Hope nods, but tears still fall from her eyes. Freya and Keelin exchange a look, both worried for their niece. They walk further into the room, and Hope quickly meets them in the middle. The three of them hug for some time, until the two older women pull away with tears in their eyes. 

"We'll leave you two to say goodbye." Keelin says with a little smile. "Josie, meet us downstairs in ten minutes, okay?"

Josie nods. "Yeah."

"Oh! Josie, here's your gift for Hope. You forgot it in the car."

The brunette's eyes widen and she quickly gets up from the bed. 

"Thank you." she says to Freya as she takes the carefully wrapped gift from her.

Once the two women are gone, Maya announces that she decided to go and help her brother. Hope immediately sees that the girl doesn't really feel like helping Ethan all of a sudden, it looks a lot more like she's trying to give the couple some space. The Mikaelson girl offers a grateful smile to her roommate, and Maya replies with a wink, closing the door on her way out. Maybe her roommate wouldn't be so bad after all. 

When Hope turns to her girlfriend, she's instead met with her gift. Josie holds the package in front of her face, it makes her a little shy.

"I hope you'll like it."

Hope smiles and shakes her head, then she walks closer to her girlfriend and very gently forces her to put her arms down. When she can get a clear look at Josie's face, Hope just leans in her captures her lips with her own. The kiss they shared earlier was nothing but their lips pressed together, but now it's so much more. With Hope's hands on Josie's waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other, and Josie's right hand holding onto Hope's biceps, it feels like they're on fire. The brunette feels like just throwing the gift away and full on make out with Hope during those 10 minutes, but at the same time she knows that gift is gonna mean a lot to Hope. 

Just as Hope tries to deepen the kiss by slipping her tongue in the brunette's mouth, Josie gently pushes her away. The Mikaelson girl whines and tries to chase Josie's lips, but the brunette just giggles and pulls away.

"I really wanna give you your gift." Josie explains softly.

Hope sighs in defeat, but she still nods her head. "Fine."

Josie's smile turns shy as she hands Hope the gift. The older girl is quick to give her girlfriend a comforting smile as she takes the package in her own hands. Hope is very careful as she opens the gift, conscious of the time her girlfriend took to actually wrap it up this cutely. When her eyes fall on what her actual gift is though, Hope's eyes fill with tears.

She takes her times to look at every picture in the framework. There's four of them. Up left is a picture of her with her parents, she must be ten in this one. Up right, there's a picture of all her family, and she can clearly remember this picture because it was taken a little before her parents died. Just below her family is a picture of herself surrounded by Josie, MG, Lizzie, Penelope and Amanda. This one makes her smile through her tears. It's been taken that summer, during their road trip. The last one is, of course, a picture of Hope and Josie. Hope can't remember when it was taken though. It must have been during one of their movie night with Lizzie and MG. They're cuddling on the lovecouch in Josie's house. They're looking at each other, oblivious to the world around them. 

"Do you like it?"

"Josie…" Hope says, her voice all chocked up. "I almost love it as much as I love you."

"Oh wow, I'm competing against a framework now." Josie decides to tease, hoping to get a smile out of her girlfriend.

It's effective, because she even gets a laugh. The Saltzman girl watches Hope with a soft wonder, trying to keep that exact image of her in her mind. Hope laughing, clearly happy and in love with  _ her _ . After a couple of seconds, the older girl's laughter dies out and she's left staring back into Josie's eyes. Hope breaks eye contact to put the framework on her bed, then she turns around and wraps her arms around Josie's waist from behind. The auburn haired girl is glad her girlfriend decided to pull her hair in two cute buns today, this way she has full access to her neck.

As soon as Hope's lips make contact with the skin of her neck Josie shivers.

"You're gonna leave hickeys, aren't you?"

Josie can actually feel Hope's smirk against her skin.

"Of course I am."

Josie giggles, and then leans her head to the side, giving Hope better access. With this silent consent, Hope starts gently sucking on Josie's neck. She sucks on the soft skin until she's sure she's left a mark, and then she lowers her mouth and starts to leave another hickey, getting a little moan out of Josie. Normally, she wouldn't leave more than one at a time, and always in a place where no one but her could see it. But… today she can't seem to care. She wants the world to know Josie is her girlfriend. She wants Josie to see herself in a mirror, and remember her. 

When Hope's second hickey is done, she pulls away a little and as soon as her lips stop making contact with Josie's sensitive neck, the brunette whines. Hope smirks, and leaves a final kiss to the skin before really pulling away. Then, she spins Josie around until they're standing face to face. 

"I love you." Hope says as soon as their eyes meet again.

"I love you too." Josie almost whispers.

At the same time, they lean in for a kiss, but the loud ring of Josie's phone makes them jump apart. The Salztman girl quickly gets it out of her pocket and sighs when she sees the text she received.

"Your aunt says we have to go."

"It's been 10 minutes already?" Hope says, her face falling.

"It would seem so." Josie swallows the lump in her throat. "So… you're coming back in 5 weeks since it's a long week end, right?"

Hope nods. "Yeah, and then I'll be back for three weeks during the holidays."

Josie tries her best to smile, but there's still tears falling on her cheeks. "Okay."

"Please, don't cry." Hope says, taking Josie's face in her hands. "We'll be fine, I promise."

"I know." 

One last kiss, and then Josie is leaving. Hope doesn't walk her back to her aunt's car, she doesn't trust herself enough to do that. It took her so much courage to actually come here, she can't just go back home. She wants to though, she wants to go home so bad. The Mikaelson girl waits until the door closes behind Josie before she lets her own tears fall. She just wish they could be together again now, not in a few weeks and not for a few nights.

"Hey, are you okay?" Says Maya as she comes into their shared room.

"Yeah." Hope says, trying to hold back her tears again. "I'm okay."

Almost at the same time, Josie sits down behind Keelin in Freya's car. Her silent tears turn to sobs, and the two women quickly turn around with sadness all over their faces.

"Oh sweetheart…" Freya says.

Josie doesn't pay attention as Hope's aunts exchange a few words, so she's a little surprised when Keelin slips into the backseat of the car to sit next to her. The woman gestures for Josie to sit in the middle, and the teen doesn't protest, nor does she protests when she's pulled in a tight embrace.

"Everything's gonna be okay sweetheart." Keelin says softly in her ear.

And just like that, Freya drives them away from Hope's college.


	2. would you like to get a job?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this one 🙈

The brunette is laughing at something her twin just told her as she walks into their shared room. She puts her school bag down next to her bed, and move around it to get to her desk. First day of her senior year of high school, and Josie is already dying to take her uniform off for forever. The first day back was exhausting, even though all they really did was sit down and listen. Josie looks through her drawer, but she doesn't even have time to gather her clothes before she hears her phone notify her that she's receiving a video call. Her eyes grow wide from excitement, and a sudden smile stretches her lips. Quickly, she drops the clothes and run back to her bag to get her phone.

Josie's heart skips a beat as she sees Hope's name on her phone, she hasn't seen her girlfriend's face since yesterday morning. Without missing another second, Josie answers the call and Hope's face appears. The auburn haired girl has a soft smile playing on her lips, and the brunette can't help but think that she likes to see her this way, simply happy.

"Hi my love." Hope says, her voice as soft as her smile. 

"Hi babe." Josie replies just as softly.

"I missed your face so much today." Hope bites her lip.

Josie doesn't even try to hide her blush. "I missed yours mo-"

"Oh my god!" Lizzie cuts them off. "I'm leaving before the two of you try to make out on camera."

The blonde is obviously annoyed, and it gets a little giggle out of her brunette twin. 

"I love you too Lizzie!" Hope shouts as she sees her girlfriend's sister disappear.

The blonde walks out the door, but not without giving Hope the middle finger, effectively making the auburn haired girl laugh loudly.

Josie watch their interaction with a soft smile still on her face, she learned to really love this playful banter between her sister and her girlfriend. 

"You're beautiful when you smile at nothing like that." Hope says with a playful voice. 

Josie's eyes quickly go back to the screen of her phone, her blush reclaiming its place on her cheeks. She can't help but think it's kinda crazy that Hope manages to make her feel that flustered even if she's just on camera. Just her image on a screen manages to make butterflies fly around her stomach, and her heart speed up. 

"You're making me shy." Josie says, her voice small.

Hope chuckles, and then she shrugs. "You're beautiful when you're shy."

Josie bites her lip and looks away. This feels so weird… to be in love with someone who's so far away from her. Somehow, this thought agitates her, so she starts pacing around her room, to get some awkwardness out.

"Jo… are you gonna talk to me?" Hope's voice is gentle, but the Saltzman girl still hears the hint of worry in it. 

"Yeah!" Josie quickly answers. "Sorry, it's been… a long day."

Hope's eyebrows furrow, and she nods. "First day back to school, uh? How was it?"

Josie shrugs. "It was just school, you know? The teachers introduced themselves and their class, I hanged out with Lizzie and MG… That's pretty much what happened."

"No new faces at the Salvatore Boarding School?" 

Josie sighs and shakes her head before she sits down on her bed, the exhaustion of her day catching up to her once more. As she does so, Hope catches sight of the her uniform. 

"You're still in your uniform." Hope states. "Didn't have time to change?"

"I was about to do that when you called."

Hope gives Josie a teasing smile. "You could do it now."

The brunette's eyes grow wide. "Hope Andrea Mikaelson! Are you actually suggesting that I should strip naked on camera?!"

"I was kidding!" Hope quickly defends herself, but her laughter makes Josie think she actually meant it.

Josie decides to tease her girlfriend a little, even if they are apart, they can still have some kind of fun. She gives Hope a wicked grin, instantly making Hope stop laughing. Hope looks unsure, like she's not quite believing what's going to happen. Quickly, Josie stands up and goes to close and lock her door.

"Jo… you're not seriousl-" 

Without paying her girlfriend much attention, Josie sets her phone on her desk. Then she glances quickly at the screen and smirks as she watches her girlfriend's face reddens. The brunette notices that her girl is not protesting though, and it makes her even more determined to make Hope pay for her suggestion. As soon as her phone is stable and points in the right direction, Josie takes a couple of steps back. She only stops when she's sure Hope can both see her face and her upper body on camera. 

Very slowly, and as sensually as she can, Josie undoes the buttons of her uniform. Her eyes stay on the camera, and she watches very carefully as Hope's eyes are glued to her. The brunette absolutely loves the hungry look the Mikaelson girl has in her eyes everytime they get a little intimate. It's like Hope becomes another person, a little more daring, a little more passionate. Thinking about Hope like that almost makes Josie reconsider teasing her… almost.

When the last button is popped open, the Saltzman girl takes the shirt off. She stands in front of the camera, shirt in hand and a playful smile on her lips. Hope's blue eyes roam her body, from her face and down to her stomach. She used to feel shy under her girlfriend's gaze, but not anymore. Now, Hope's blue eyes make her feel confident, beautiful even. Josie lets the Mikaelson girl have a good view for a couple of seconds before she throws the shirt over her phone, blocking her camera. Josie can't help herself, and burst out laughing even before she gets a reaction out of the auburn haired girl.

"What?" Hope asks, confusion clear in her voice.

Then Josie's laughter comes to her ears. "Jo, did you do that on purpose?" 

Her whining girlfriend makes Josie's laughter louder. She's pretty sure she'll never get tired of Hope's reactions to her teasing. The brunette ignores the auburn haired girl as she quickly changes herself into a comfortable oversized shirt and some sweat pants. As soon as she's done, she takes her uniform shirt off of her phone. 

What she didn't expect was to find her girlfriend actively pouting at her through the camera.

"Aw babe, did I make you sad?" Josie asks with a fake sad face. 

"You totally did! Teasing me like that is no fair." Hope answers.

"Maybe I can make it up to you the next time we'll be together." Josie before wiggling her eyebrows.

"Josie… that's in four weeks." Hope says, looking down all of a sudden.

The brunette's smile falters for a second, but she quickly decides she won't let herself feel down. She gathers as much enthusiasm before speaking with her brightest smile. 

"Hey! Don't think like that… just tell yourself we already went through a week! Only four more, and then we'll be together again."

Hope opens her mouth to answer, but then Josie hears a door opening and the Mikaelson girl quickly looks behind herself. 

"Oh, hi Maya." Hope says with a small smile. 

"Hi!" Josie hears the girl reply. "Are you having a camera date with Josie?"

Hope looks embarrassed for a second before she shrugs. "I guess you could say that."

"Oh, okay. Can I say hi and then I'll disappear and leave you two?"

Josie giggles as she sees her girlfriend eye the other girl curiously.

"Uh, sure."

Hope turns her phone so that Josie can see Maya. The brunette smiles at the older girl.

"Hi Maya!" Josie says with a small wave.

"Hey Jo! How was your first day of senior year at your fancy boarding school?"

Josie chuckles lightly. "It's school, and it's just like any other school."

Soon after that, Maya leaves them alone again, and they fall into easy conversations. School, friends, hobbies… Everything that comes to their minds. Hope shows Josie the painting she started in class and Josie sings Hope a little song. Sometimes, they just stay with each other, in comfortable silence. Josie loves looking at Hope's face, but it doesn't feel the same to do it on camera. She'd never tell Hope that though, she knows it would only hurt her girlfriend. 

They hang up a little more than an hour later when Lizzie comes into the room and tells Josie it's dinner time. The brunette twin nods her understanding at her sister, and Lizzie quickly leaves the room. Hanging up is always the difficult part, even though they'll probably call each other again to say good night a little later.

As soon as Hope's face disappear, Josie's heart sinks. She wonders if one day it'll get easier to hang up, if she'll stop feeling so sad. Then, she realizes that she really hopes she won't. She's scared of what that would mean for them. 

* * *

As the week goes by, Josie feels more and more down. She talks with Hope everyday, even if it's only for a couple of minutes. Every call makes her crave her girlfriend's presence a little more. She misses all the little things that made her fall for her girlfriend. All the touches, all the kisses…

Then, there's all the time she spends with Lizzie and MG. At first, she thought they would go back to how they were before Hope came into their lives, but the brunette quickly realized that it would never be the same. Her twin and her best friend are a couple, and that sucks. They're always being cute, cuddling, kissing… Everything that the brunette can't have or do right now. Josie's loneliness just seems to increase whenever she's with them. She wouldn't tell them that though. No, they deserve their happiness. 

So Josie puts on a brave face. She smiles and says that everything is fine. She says that she's holding up, and that she practically doesn't feel Hope's absence. 

That's a lie. A big lie.

On Saturday, when her sister asks her if she wants to go to the movies with her and MG, Josie declines. Third wheeling a movie date was so not on Josie's list of awesome things right now. Instead, Josie heads to the mall in a town near Mystic Falls. She tries shopping a little, but nothing catches her eye. So she decides to buy herself a book instead. When she's done with that, Josie goes to a little coffee shop. She quickly orders herself a coffee and sits down to drink it and read the book she just bought. She opens the slightly big book, and turns the first few pages until she finds the start of the story. 

She's not even two sentences in when she hears a familiar voice. 

"Josie Saltzman! Who would've thought I'd see you here today?"

The brunette quickly looks up, and a big smile stretches her lips when her eyes meet Jade's. They had stayed in touch after the last concert, but it was the first time they saw each other since then. 

"Jade!" Josie says as she stands up.

Quickly, the two girls share a hug. Then, they step back and smile at each other. 

"Can I sit with you?" Jade asks.

"Sure!"

Josie sits back down in the seat she was previously occupying. Then, she puts her book back inside her bag. She's kinda happy for the interruption, if she's being honest. It felt kinda sad to sit alone in a coffee shop and read a book. 

"How was your first week of senior year Jo?" Jade asks, her smile still on her lips. 

"Oh… It was good. Can we talk about something else though? It seems like literally everyone is asking me about that."

The girl with dark blonde hair chuckles and shakes her head.

"Of course. How is it going with Hope?"

Josie forces a smile. Thinking about her girlfriend is not what she wants to do right now, even though it's basically the only thing she thinks about these days. 

"It's good."

"That's all you're willing to give me? Come on, Jo, what's up?"

Josie takes a sip of her coffee, wondering if she should tell Jade about how she's really feeling. Then she thinks that if she doesn't tell Jade, who could she tell?

"I hate this long distance relationship." Josie finally drops. "I miss Hope so much and it's killing me! I mean, when we're not talking I'm sad, and when we're talking I'm sad too. How is that even possible?" The brunette sighs. "Lizzie and MG are so happy as a couple that they make me even more sad. I just… wish I had a distraction."

"So you went shopping by yourself?" Jade asks with a smirk.

The brunette rolls her eyes. "My friends are either in college, or dating each other. I really didn't feel like being around a couple today."

"What did you mean by 'distraction'?" Jade asks as she leans her head to the side.

"I don't know. Just something that would keep me away from home." 

Josie meets Jade's eyes when the other girl hums. Her friend seems to be thinking about something, and the brunette is dying to know what it is. The blonde girl leans her elbows on the table, getting closer to Josie in the process.

"Would you like to get a job?"

Josie's eyes widen in excitement as soon as she hears Jade's question, only to narrow in disappointment a second later. 

"My dad won't let me." The brunette sighs. 

Jade leans back in her chair, her whole face falling. "Oh. Why?"

"He thinks it would get in the way of my studies."

"What if I can guarantee you'll only work during the week ends, and only during the day?"

Josie bites her lip as she thinks it over. Getting a job sounds so good right now. Getting some money, having a distraction, spending time with Jade…

"Let me make a phone call."

It takes a lot of convincing, but after a long 15 minutes call, Josie has the okay to apply for the job. Josie follows Jade until they get to a little music store. The brunette's eyes widen with surprise mixted with excitement. She had not been expecting this. Her eyes meets Jade's, and there's a soft smile on the blonde girl's lips, a smile that Josie quickly reciprocates. 

Josie follows Jade inside, and the blonde girl tells her to wait in the store as she goes to talk to her boss. Josie smiles and nods. Her eyes scan every part of the little shop, and she can't help but feel at home. Most of the walls are covered with CDs and posters, but the thing that really interests Josie is the tables in the middle of the shop. The thing is those tables have boxes full of Vinyls, and Josie is a sucker for Vinyls. 

Without thinking too much about it, Josie moves to one of the tables, her eyes catching sight of a very interesting piece. A soft smile graces her lips as she recognizes it. Neil Young's 'Harvest', one of her favorites. She carefully takes the Vinyl in her hands, her smile never leaving her face.

"That's a good pick." A man's voice comes from behind her. 

Josie quickly turns around to look at the man. He's tall, slim and friendly looking. His black hair fall on his shoulders and he has an easy smile on. Also, Jade is standing right next to him.

"Jade was right, you have taste."

"Josie, that is Matthew, but we call him Matt." Jade says with a confident smile as she hides her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "He's the boss."

Josie quickly puts the Vinyl right back into the box. Then she quickly extends a hand.

"I'm Josie." 

Matt chuckles. "I know, I'm Matt."

The brunette feels the embarrassment wash over her. Of course he knows her name, Jade told him. He still shakes her hand though, and that calms Josie a little. 

"Let's go in the office, I have a few questions for you. But please, don't be stressed, you have the job."

As soon as he's done talking, Matthew walks in the direction of his office and Josie follows him. The brunette shoots a quick look to her blonde friend, only receiving a wink in answer. Then she turns around just at the right time because all of a sudden, Matt turns and looks at Jade. 

"Your shift starts in five, don't you dare be late since you're already here."

Josie quickly glances at Jade as her friend laugh. Maybe her year wouldn't be that bad after all.

* * *

Hope sighs as she finally walks into her room. Being dragged around campus by Maya on a Saturday was really not what she had planned for the day, but well…

The Mikaelson girl checks her phone, just in case Josie tried to call, but there's nothing. She doesn't even try to hide her disappointment as she sits down on her bed. Then, she quickly stands up a second later. She needs to do something about her loosening ponytail. She goes straight to the bathroom, it's the only place where there's a mirror in their room. She's almost done with straightening her hair when her phone starts to ring in her pocket.

_ Josie aka the love of your life _

Hope chuckles as she reads her girlfriend's name on her screen. Of course this was all Josie's doing… not that the auburn haired girl minded though. She quickly answers the call, and the brunette's face invades her screen.

"Hello beautiful." Josie says with a bright smile.

"Hi love." Hope immediately answers. "How was your day?"

"So good! You won't believe me, Hope. I got a job!"

Hope frowns a little, but she still smiles because her girlfriend is obviously happy.

"You got a job? I thought your dad was really against that."

"I managed to convince him."

Hope's frown disappear to leave place to a full blown smile. 

"I'm really happy for you then. How did that happen though?"

"Well, I went shopping today, and after that I had coffee in a small coffee shop. Guess who I met there?" Hope opens her mouth to answer, but Josie doesn't let her. "Jade! We talked, and after a while she asked me if I wanted a job, and you know what happened after." 

"What's the job?"

"I'll be organizing CDs and Vinyls in a music store! Can you believe it? It's like my dream job."

Hope's heart soars at the sight of her girlfriend in this happy state. She knows Josie's been a little down lately, and seeing her so smiley right now was doing wonders to soothe Hope's worries. 

"Oh! And I bought a Neil Young Vinyl. Let me show you."

Josie puts her phone on her nightstand while she goes to get the Vinyl, putting a wicked idea in Hope's mind. The Mikaelson girl settles her phone on a little shelf that's facing the shower. Just before Josie takes her phone back, Hope manages to take her shirt and pants off. She places herself close enough to her phone so that Josie won't be able to tell she doesn't have it on anymore. 

"Oh wow…" Josie giggles as she takes her phone back. "You're close suddenly. Not that I'm complaining, I can see your cute little freckles now." The brunette says with a flirtatious smile.

Hope smiles but still rolls her eyes. "You wanted to show me something?"

"Oh yeah!" Josie's face is replaced by the Vinyl she bought. "It's beautiful, right?"

The older girl doesn't have the heart to tell her girlfriend that it looks like an old piece of cardboard to her, so she smiles instead.

"It is, my love." Josie's face reappears on the screen. "Would you mind waiting for me for like… ten minutes?"

Josie frowns. "Ten minutes? Hope, that's a long ti-"

As the brunette speaks, Hope turns around, showing her back to Josie. Then, she starts walking to the shower, finally giving Josie a view of her half naked self. The auburn haired girl looks over her shoulder, her eyes catching Josie's. The Saltzman girl's jaw is almost hitting the floor, making Hope giggle. Just to tease her girlfriend a little more, Hope undoes the clasp of her bra, letting the piece of clothing fall to the floor as she steps into the shower. She's kind enough to actually take her panties off when Josie can no longer see her.

"What's wrong love? I thought it'd only be fair after what you did to me on Monday."

"I can't believe you're doing this to me." Josie complains, but then she groans. "But, I gues it is fair. Call me when you're done babe?" 

Hope can't help the little laugh that escapes her. "Of course."


	3. i am not an asshole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!!
> 
> Who was waiting for a new chapter??

As soon as Hope walks into her room, she lets her bag fall to the floor and quickly walk to her desk. It's past 6PM and Josie must be home by now, the Mikaelson girl really hopes her girlfriend is home. She desperately wants this video call to happen. Hope quickly opens her laptop and then Skype. 

It takes a couple of rings before a slightly out of breath brunette appears on her screen, putting a big smile on Hope's face.

"Hi, love."

Josie sits down in front of her laptop, and her smile mirrors Hope's.

"Hi!" She quickly rushes out. "Did I almost miss your call?"

The older chuckles. "It doesn't matter. I would have called again."

Josie nods. "You have paint on your neck."

It's said with a teasing smile, and shining eyes. Hope's hand quickly goes to her neck, and she gives her girlfriend a sheepish smile.

"I just go out of class." Hope offers as an explanation. "I have incredible news Jo!"

"Oh real-" The screen freezes.

The Mikaelson girl frowns, the dorms' Wi-Fi is the worst sometimes. 

"Josie? Love, do you hear me?" Hope tries, waiting for her girlfriend's answer.

"I-Hope-some-ing-" 

The screen keeps freezing, cutting Josie's words off, and irritating Hope. They try to talk to each other for a couple more seconds, Josie's speech coming in broken and with missing parts. The auburn haired girl quickly grows frustrated and a little defeated. After a minute or two of a messy video call, Hope clicks on the ending button. 

The Mikaelson girl leans her elbows on her desk, and takes her head in her hands. She takes several deep breaths to try and calm herself. She doesn't want to cry now. For the first time in three weeks she has good news, she won't tell Josie about it as she's crying her eyes out.

This is hard. 

Being so far from her familiy is hard. 

Being so far from Josie is hard. 

Being so far from her friends is hard. 

Everyday is a new battle against her own feelings. She feels alone, isolated and  _ sad _ . She misses seeing her aunts everyday, and eating Keelin's cooking. She misses having Josie in her arms and kissing her. She misses having Penelope at her side as she walks down the halls of the school. She just misses having the ones she loves around. 

The sound of her phone ringing cuts Hope's train of thoughts. She quickly grabs her phone and her heart skips a beat when she sees her girlfriend's picture. This is her favorite picture of Josie. Hope took it herself during their road trip the summer before. Josie is laughing, her head thrown back. 

The picture disappears, and Hope frowns.

_ 1 missed call. _

Understand washes over her, and the auburn haired girl curses under her breath. She quickly unlocks her phone and selects her girlfriend's number. She can't believe she actually missed Josie's call. It takes a ring before the brunette answers. 

"Hope, are you okay?" The brunette rushes to say. "You didn't answer, and I got worried."

"Sorry Josie, I just…" Hope sighs and runs a hand over her face. "I was frustrated."

The brunette nods on the other end of the line, even though she knows her girlfriend can't see her. Hope doesn't really know what more she could say. So, they stay in silence for a couple of seconds, the older girl growing a little anxious with every second passing by. 

"You had good news." Josie suddenly says softly.

"Yeah…" Hope takes another deep breath. "There's a competition in my painting class. If I win, my work could be exposed in a gallery."

"Wow, Hope, this is incredible!" Josie says, her excitement making Hope smile. "What do you have to do to make it happen?"

"Work hard the whole semester, and present at least three different pieces by the end of it." Hope sighs. "I usually take a lot of time to get a piece done, so… fingers crossed, you know?"

"You can do this babe." Josie says, a smile in her voice. "You're so talented, you got this."

The older girl lets out a light chuckle. "How do you do this?"

"Do what?"

The confusion in Josie's voice is enough to get another little laugh out of Hope. Sometimes, the brunette is just adorable, and it makes loving her so incredibly easy. The auburn haired girl just can't imagine a world where she'd meet Josie Saltzman, and wouldn't fall for her.

"Make me feel better." 

"I'm just supporting you silly. I'm being a good girlfriend and all." Josie says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Hope knows she has a goofy smile on, but she doesn't even care anymore.

"You're the best girlfriend." The Mikaelson girl says fondly.

After that, they fall into easy conversations. They talk until their ears turn red, and they have pretty much nothing else to say. They talk until they both realize they have homework to do, and then they have to say goodbye. It's the part Hope hates the most, because when the line goes dead, she's alone again. 

* * *

The walk to her room after her first volleyball practice is a nightmare. Her whole body is sore, and Hope is pretty sure she just discovered some of her own muscles. Volleyball practice in college is brutal, and it has nothing to do with high school volleyball practice. She's still wondering how she actually feels about it as she walks into her room.

Maya and her brother Ethan are sitting on her bed, laughing at the movie playing on the girl's laptop. Hope clenches her jaw as she walks in and closes the door behind herself. The two siblings give her sweet smiles as they greet her, and Hope answers with a nod before she drops her gym bag by the foot of her bed and walks into the bathroom. 

The Mikaelson girl takes a quick shower, makes sure the bathroom's all cleaned up before getting out, and then she steps back into her room. She's ready to put her headphones on her ears and block her roommate's voice out as she studies for some class, but it's not what happens. As soon as she's out of the bathroom, Hope notices that Ethan is gone. Maya is standing between their two beds, and she looks pissed.

"Why do you have to be such an asshole?" The brunette asks.

"I am not an asshole." Hope quickly defends herself. "Just because I'm not trying to be your frien-"

Maya cuts her off. "You could still be nice. No, instead you look annoyed everytime I'm in the room. You never talk to me, unless you really have to. You even act like I don't exist."

Hope glares at her roommate. "I said nothing about you being here! I don't have to act like I'm happy to see you when I don't even know you."

"You could just say 'hi'!" Maya sighs and runs a frustrated hand over her face. 

"Why? Why should I say 'hi' to you and your brother, when all you do is sit on that bed and watch loud movies?"

"Oh, so now you're complaining about us watching movies." Maya rolls her eyes as she lets out a disbelieving laughter. "Well, I've got news for you : it's my room too!"

"I-I know that!" The auburn haired girl sighs. 

This is going horribly wrong. Hope doesn't even know how they got to this point in three weeks of sharing the same space. She didn't even mean to complain about Maya and Ethan watching movies. She just said it to get a rise out of the brunette. 

"I didn't mean to be rude." Hope says, meaning it as an apology. "I'm not good at letting people in, but it's not an excuse for my behavior."

Maya's face softens as she sees the vulnerability on Hope's face. Maybe the Mikaelson girl wasn't  _ trying _ to be an asshole. Hope is looking down, clearly overwhelmed with her feelings. 

"Hope… I noticed how alone you feel, how isolated you are." Maya takes a step closer to Hope, and then another. "You miss your family, and you miss Josie." Hope looks up and meets Maya's eyes. "Did you ever stop to think that if you actually connected to someone here, you'd feel better?"

Hope chuckles and looks up at the ceiling, a soft smile playing on her lips. Then, she sits down on her bed, her eyes back on Maya. She's not sure of what to say, or what to do now. Deep down, she knows the brunette is right. She's been feeling miserable in the last three weeks. 

"You sound like Josie." 

Maya smiles and takes a seat on Hope's bed too. "I like Josie. "

Hope frowns. "She's taken."

The brunette rolls her eyes. "I know that, I wasn't-" A teasing smile appear on Hope's face, and Maya playfully pushes her. "Hope Mikaelson! Did you just mess with me?"

The auburn haired girl shrugs, but she's still smiling. Suddenly though, she gets serious again.

"I'm not an asshole." She says again. "My best friend says I have trust issues, or whatever."

"I saw pictures of her, you never told me about her though."

Hope can see what Maya is trying to do. She's trying to subtly get information out of Hope, and somehow, the auburn haired girl doesn't really mind. Telling Maya about Penelope doesn't sound bad at all actually. It's easier than talking about Josie. Because talking about Josie puts a really upsetting feeling in Hope's stomach.

"Her name is Penelope."

It's easy to tell Maya how she met Penelope, how they became so close. Hope leaves her dead parents out of the story though, they're not there yet. The Mikaelson girl talks about little things that happened to them, and Maya listens. The brunette listens, and she laughs and she seems genuinely interested. Hope couldn't tell when she became comfortable with Maya. When she started laughing too, and when decided it was okay to let her roommate in, even if it's just a little. 

The auburn haired girl is getting to when Landon dumped her, when there's a soft knock on their door. Maya quickly gets to her feet and walks to the door. She opens it, and finds her brother on the other side.

"I just wanted to check in." Ethan softly says. "Since you were angry earlier, I thought-"

Maya smiles and cuts him off. "All is good now. Right, Mikaelson?"

Hope gives a little smile. "Right."

Ethan smiles at the both of them. "That's awesome girls! Why don't we go out for some pizza to celebrate this newfound friendship?"

"Friendship is a big word." The brunette girl says, sending a teasing smile to her roommate. "But, I'll definitely work on that."

Maya's brother rolls his eyes. "Whatever Maya. Hope, are you joining us?"

Hope lifts a hand and rubs the back of her neck. "I don't know. I was supposed to study and-"

"Call Josie?"

Maya's teasing smile makes the Mikaelson girl roll her eyes this time. Still, Hope nods. It was exactly what she had planned. 

"Hope…" Maya says with a groan. "You do that every day! Send Josie a text, I'm sure she'll understand. You can call her when we get back."

"Come on Hope." Ethan adds. "We found the best pizza place in town."

The Mikaelson girl lifts a brow, and gives him a teasing smile of her own. The boy chuckles and shakes his head.

"You and Maya should get along just fine if you actually talk to each other." He says, rolling his eyes in the process. "The pizza place is great, and cheap. What more do you need?"

"Fine!" Hope stands up to follow them. "Oh, just… let me text Josie."

**To :** **_Josie aka the love of your life_ **

_ Hey love, so I'm going to get pizza with Maya and Ethan and I'll miss our video call.  _

_ I'll call you as soon as I get back, and we'll definitely talk before curfew. _

_ I love you. _

Hope puts her phone in the pocket of her jeans, and follows the two Machado siblings out of the room. They walk to the pizza place, and Hope gets stuck in the middle. She silently listens as they talk and argue. Sibling relationships always seemed to amaze her. She observed her girlfriend and her twin on multiple occasions. It was still a little mind blowing to hear Josie and Lizzie talk at the same time. The way they cared about each other was really outstanding too.

Maya and Ethan seemed a little different. Hope wonders if it's because they're not twins, or if it's because they're a boy and a girl. She sees how protective Ethan is over Maya. She sees how… proud of her brother Maya is. Hope remembers seeing them cuddle as they'd watch a movie, but not as close as twins would. 

"Earth to Hope…" Maya says as she waves a hand in front of Hope's face.

The auburn haired girl rolls her eyes and pushes her roommate's hand away. Ethan laughs and gently shoves his sister.

"You made her mad again."

"I didn't!" Maya turns to Hope, and the girl just glares. "Oh come on! What did I do now?"

Hope can't keep it up anymore and lets out a laugh too. Maybe this friendship wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Josie lays her new work shirt on her desk chair. She smiles as she looks at it. Tomorrow would be her first day of work. She'll get to work in a music store and spend time with Jade. The brunette is a little nervous, but it's a good kind of nervosity. It feels like she'll finally get something to occupy her mind. School and Hope were definitely not the only thing she should focus on. 

"That shirt is brown. I can't believe you're actually  _ happy _ to wear a brown shirt." Lizzie says from where she's sitting on her bed. "Jo… Come to the party with us."

Josie rolls her eyes and sends a glare to her sister over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow's my first day, Lizzie. I'm really happy about this job."

The blonde twin sighs and lets herself fall back on her bed. "I know. It's just… You never spend time with MG and I anymore."

"Seeing you two happily in love is kinda hard right now." Josie turns around and walks to her own bed. "I miss Hope, Lizzie."

The blonde girl turns her head to look at her twin, and this time, she actually looks sad for Josie.

"I know, Jo." Lizzie sits again as Josie sits down on her own bed. "I'm sorry it's so hard."

The brunette shrugs. "I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I love her. It's worth it."

"Yeah…"

The twins stay in silence, neither of them really knowing what more they could say. Lizzie doesn't really understand Josie right now, and Josie doesn't really know if she wants her twin to understand. The brunette is scared her twin will say her relationship isn't worth how she's feeling. She's not sure she could take it now. 

Her phone vibrates, and in a second Josie is on her feet again. When her eyes land on her phone, and Hope's bright smile is on the screen, all feelings of doubt are gone. 

"Let me guess, it's Hope?" Lizzie asks.

"Yeah." 

"Answer it. I'll leave for the party. Good night Jo."

"Good night Lizzie, stay safe please."

The blonde smiles and nods before getting out of the room. Then, Josie quickly answers the call. Hope appears on her screen, and the brunette could swear she's more beautiful than ever.

"Hope…" Her girlfriend's name escapes her lips.

"Hi Josie." Hope softly says. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Are you excited for tomorrow?"

Josie's smile gets bigger. "You remembered."

"Jo… Of course, I did. Just because you're not close to me, doesn't mean I don't think about you all the time. I listen to everything you tell me."

"Okay." The brunette goes to sit back down on her bed. "I'm really excited, but a little nervous too."

"Tell me more love…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're getting closer to seeing each other again!! Who's excited for that?
> 
> Next chapter, Josie has her first work day!


	4. you sent me sexy pictures!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I made people vote on twitter for the story they wanted an uptade of and this fic is the winner!
> 
> NEW CHAPTER ALERT!!

Josie looks at the screen of her phone for a couple of seconds, hesitating on whether she should call her girlfriend or not. Calling Hope at 7:15AM on a Saturday sounds like a bad idea. The Mikaelson girl must have some much needed to catch up on. The thing that makes Josie hesitate so much is that it would be the first day since Hope moved that they wouldn't speak in the morning. For some reason, the thought of not talking to her girlfriend is making Josie feel very uneasy. Just as she's about to only send a text to Hope, the screen of the brunette's phone changes to a picture of Hope.

_ Incoming call from My hope «3 _

Josie's heart jumps inside her chest, and she quickly answers the call.

"Hi!"

"Good morning, my love." Hope quietly says, her voice husky from sleep.

"Hope, you should be asleep." Josie tries to scold her girlfriend, but both of them know she doesn't mean it.

"No way. I had to talk to you before your first day of work."

Josie is always a little surprised by how easily Hope can make her fall a little deeper for her. Hope can do the simplest things, and Josie would fall for her. 

"I love you so much, Hope Mikaelson." The brunette simply answers.

Hope chuckles. "I love you too, Josie Saltzman." There's silence for a second or two. "We should probably hang up now, I don't want to make you late for work on your first day."

"But we just started talking!"

"I know." Hope loudly sighs on the other end of the phone call, and there's a little moment of silence. "How about we have a movie date tonight?"

"A movie night without cuddles." Josie says, ending her sentence with a pout even though Hope can't see her.

"Josie… I know it sucks, but it's the best I can offer you right now."

"I know." Josie sighs. "I'll take what I can get. I'll see you tonight, babe."

"Have a good day at work, love."

"Have a good day too. I love you."

"I love you too."

Josie bites her bottom lip, says goodbye one more time and then quickly hangs up before she loses the courage to do it. She takes one last look at the time before standing up. The brunette goes to the mirror and checks herself out one last time to make sure she looks okay. When she's satisfied, Josie goes downstairs where her mother is waiting to take her to the shop. 

"Are you ready, sweetie?" Caroline asks, looking even more nervous than Josie.

"I think I am, yeah."

During the ride to the shop, the only thing that can be heard in the car is the soft music playing through the speakers. Josie's so nervous that she doesn't talk at all, and Caroline respects her daughter's choice. The car soon stops in front of the store, and the mother and daughter exchange a look.

"Mom, take me home." Josie quickly blurts out. "I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, Josie… You're just nervous, sweetheart." Caroline says as she gently places a loose strand of brunette hair behind Josie's ear. "You said it yourself, this is your dream job. You can do this."

Josie swallows with difficulty and nods. "I can do this."

Just like she did with the phone call, Josie gets out of the car before she can convince herself otherwise. She's almost at the door of the store when her mother calls her name.

"Josie! You forgot your lunch."

The brunette quickly goes back to the car and gets the packed lunch her dad made for her. After a quick "thank you", Josie goes straight back to the store's door. As soon as she walks in, Josie can see Jade behind the counter. Her friend is typing away on her phone, and it takes her a couple of seconds to actually look up and see who came in. The bored expression on Jade's face quickly morphs into a blinding smile.

"Josie!" Jade says as she quickly walks around the counter. "I'm so glad you're here. It's been dead all morning, and I was waiting for you to do things, you know?"

"Hi, Jade." Josie says with a giggle. "You've been here for like, two hours, but I'm glad to be here too."

"Good! Now, let me show you where to put your things."

Josie follows Jade around the store and to the backroom. She's quickly informed that Matt isn't gonna be there that day. The day goes by pretty smoothly. Jade shows Josie what to do in the store while there's no customer, how to act with customers and how to make them pay. At first, the Saltzman girl is overwhelmed with all the information thrown at her, but after a while she feels more confident. During Josie's lunch break, Jade decides to make her listen to a couple of new bands. The brunette can't help but think that she really hit the jackpot when it comes to getting a job. She gets to listen and talk about music, and spend time with Jade. The dynamic that quickly appears between them is easy and comfortable. 

When 4PM comes, two boys take their place and the girls are free to go. Josie is glad because her feet are sore, but at the same time she's sad to lose Jade's company.

"So, Jo, did you like your first day?" Jade asks with a smirk.

"It was so great!" Josie excitedly says. "Are we always gonna work together?"

The girl with dark blonde hair nods. "Most likely, yeah. We're always at least 2 in the store. My old partner quit at the end of the summer 'cause she was going to college."

The word "college" brings unexpected sadness to the brunette. Josie internally groans as she looks down. She's getting upset at a word because it reminds her of Hope. 

_ This is getting ridiculous _ . Josie can't help but think.

"You okay, Jo?"

Josie quickly looks back at Jade. "Yeah. Sorry." The older girl doesn't seem convinced, so Josie quickly decides to add something else. "Jade, why aren't you in college?"

"No desire to go. No money to go." Jade shrugs. 

"Oh, okay."

Jade places an arm around Josie's shoulders as they walk out of the store.

"What about you, Jo? Do you plan to go to college?"

Josie's eyes catch the sight of her father's car as she nods.

"Yeah, I do." She gives Jade a smile. "Do you mind if we pick this conversation up tomorrow? My father's already here to pick me up."

"Of course not!" Jade takes her arm off of Josie's shoulders. "I really like working with you, Josie."

Josie's not sure why her cheeks heat up. "I like it too. You saved me from a very lonely year. Thank you."

Jade's eyes soften. "You should go now. Bye Josie."

Josie waves as she mutters a quiet "bye" before walking to her father's car. As soon as she slips into the passenger seat, Josie sees her father's eyes are following Jade.

"Dad?"

"Is that your friend?"

Josie frowns. "Yeah, that's Jade."

"She seems older than you." Alaric says, his protective-father mode on.

"By a year, just like Hope." Josie says before she rolls her eyes. "Why are you like this?"

Alaric starts the engine of the car. "I don't know."

Josie doesn't ask any more questions as her father starts driving away. Alaric's behavior was weird, and it reminds Josie of when she started dating Hope. The thing is, Jade is just a friend and Josie's still dating Hope. She doesn't understand why her father acted all protective all of a sudden. 

The brunette sighs and gets her phone out. All thoughts of Jade and her dad are gone when she sees she has 9 messages from Hope. Josie quickly opens them, and can't stop the big smile that appears on her face. Only two of the messages are actually made of words, the others are pictures. The first few pictures are beautiful and innocent. Hope having breakfast with Maya. Hope sitting on the grass in the park with Maya and Ethan. All sorts of pictures of her girlfriend's day. However, the last two pictures make Josie's eyes grow big and she's pretty sure her cheeks are now a deep shade of pink. The first one goes from Hope's lips to her chest. It's pretty clear the auburn haired girl is only wearing a bra in the picture. The second one is a picture of Hope's abs, just her very well defined abs on full display. The Saltzman girl quickly glances at her father to make sure he didn't see how flustered she suddenly is. She doesn't dare open the pictures again. 

* * *

"Really, Hope? Sexy pictures! You sent me sexy pictures!"

The auburn haired girl's laughter is so loud Josie has to take the phone away from her ear. The brunette really wants to be angry at her girlfriend right now, but she wonders how exactly she could be angry when Hope's laughter is like music to her ears. 

"I thought you'd like them." Hope says when her laughter finally dies out. 

Josie's mouth drops. "I-" She stops and takes a deep breath. "I didn't take the time to appreciate them. I was in the car with my dad when I opened the messages you sent me."

Just like that, the Mikaelson girl is laughing again. This time though, Josie doesn't stop the soft smile that appears on her face. Hope's laugh stops abruptly.

"Wait. He didn't see anything, right? 'Cause I'm never coming over again if he saw something."

Josie chuckles. "Hope… You'd already be dead if he had seen something."

The auburn haired girl snorts. "Right." She pauses. "Are you alone now?"

Josie hums. "I am."

"Maybe you should look at them."

"No." Josie firmly says.

"No?" Hope echoes with a teasing tone of voice.

"No." Josie states again. "I can't look at half naked pictures of you right now. I miss you too much."

"I miss you too." Hope breathes out. It takes a moment for the Mikaelson girl to speak again, as if she's gathering the courage to move on with the conversation. "Tell me about your day before we start our movie date."

Josie immediately starts excitedly talking about her first day of work. She tells her girlfriend every little aspect of her work. The brunette also tells Hope about Jade, and how good it felt to be with her friend. Hope listens and interacts when needed. When Josie's done telling Hope everything that comes to her mind, she's out of breath.

"I'm so glad this is making you happy, Jo." Hope says with so much softness that Josie's heart skips a beat. 

Soon after that, they turn on their laptops and their cameras to start their movie date. Hope is obviously sitting on her bed, and the way she looks takes Josie's breath away. Her auburn hair is loose and falling down in waves over her shoulders. She's wearing her glasses, not her contact lenses, and she seems to be wearing a way too big hoodie of her school. Hope's simple looks are Josie's favorite. 

About half way through the movie, Josie's eyes fall shut. Hope immediately notices her girlfriend fell asleep since she's been looking at Josie a whole lot more than at the movie. The auburn haired girl spends a couple of minutes just taking in her girlfriend's beauty. It never stops surprising her. After a while, Hope sighs and reaches for her phone. With some hesitation, she ends the video call before texting Lizzie. Josie fell asleep in a weird position, and the Mikaelson girl doesn't want Josie to wake up in pain. When she's sure Lizzie will check up on Josie, Hope sinks into her bed and puts her laptop on the floor. As she closes her eyes to sleep, a single thought keeps repeating itself inside her head.

_ 3 more weeks and we'll be together. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's short, but the next chapter is gonna be a lot bigger since Hosie will reunite! 
> 
> If you don't want to miss the next poll, go check out my Twitter @its_avengerskye


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